If you need to know your PSAT score but can’t find your score report, don’t despair. Depending on how long it’s been since you took the test, you probably can still locate your score. The test is commonly known as the PSAT but its official name is actually the PSAT/NMSQT, which stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. High schools administer the test each year in October to juniors and sophomores -- and sometimes younger students -- who elect to take it.
Score Report Sent to Schools
In early December, student score reports are mailed to all high schools that administered the PSAT in October. The school receives two copies of each student’s score report; one copy is given to the student and the other is kept on file at the school. Homeschooled students’ scores are mailed directly to their home address. So, if you were a student in a public or private school when you took the PSAT, your high school should have a copy of your score.
Online Score Reports
Your PSAT scores are also available online. At the College Board website, students who take the PSAT have free access to their scores as part of the personalized college planning program called My College QuickStart. To retrieve your scores online, you’ll need the access code from your paper score report. If you don’t have the paper score report, the high school where you took the test may be able to give you the access code. However, for identification purposes, you may have to go to the school in person to get it.
Timing
The laws that govern how long schools must keep your records after you are no longer a student vary from state to state and actual practices differ even among school districts within the same state. Chances are good your high school still has the records that contain your PSAT scores, especially if your last enrollment was fairly recent. A phone call to the central office at the high school or to the guidance counselor’s office is the quickest way to find out if your records are still on file.
About Your Scores
Your PSAT score is a good indicator of how well prepared you are for college-level work, but it is not used as part of the criteria for admission. Your score is not included on the official transcript your high school sends to colleges unless your parent or guardian gives permission for the school to do so. You can grant permission if you are age 18 or older.
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Writer Bio
Linda Hinkle has been a writer since 2004. She spent 29 years teaching mathematics in public high schools and now maintains a private tutoring practice. In addition to writing about education and parenting issues, she writes mathematics assessment and test prep items. Hinkle is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, where she earned a bachelor's degree in education.